Good luck putting that in your checked bag: Brad Pitt toured Art Basel in Switzerland yesterday and dropped over $1 million on art. Apparently the brand new soon-to-be father has a bit of the nesting impulse; chief among his purchases was a $293,000... table.
He also picked up a lamp and some chairs. (You can feast your eyes here.)
It's easier to bring giant art in through the airport than, say, perfume in a four-ounce bottle bought outside security. But you might want a refresher on duty-free rules. Not that Super World Travelers need to handle that kind of thing--they have staff.
It just isn't Art Basel until someone's crying. This weekend, that someone was Paris Hilton--who knew she was so moved by art?
Nah, we're kidding. Hilton made her first appearance at the opening party in South Beach on Wednesday night, where she caused a scene over Greek ex-boyfriend and party host Stavros Niarchos, even reportedly punching his date! (Paris and Stavros met up in Miami last year under better terms; she had been dating a Swedish model, while he has been linked to Mary-Kate Olsen.) What is the allure of the man Go Fug Yourself refers to as "Stabby Nachos"? Well, his $275 million inheritance from his family's shipping company, perhaps.
If you want to join in the sob fest over the love of shipping heirs lost, HotelChatter has all the info you need about catching the tail end of Art Basel.
We finally got around to the latest issue of Departures, and it's jam-packed with the usual hot (and haute) destinations and gear. And though we're already getting over Miami Beach, Craig Robins' article on the topic snagged our attention. It's all about Art Basel: the more-or-less week long excuse to slink around Miami gulping canapes and scoping modern art.
Since the online version is only available to American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders, we'll have to fill you in on the best bits. First, concentrate your efforts on the Design District, slipping over to South Beach when the need arises. (The Moore Space Loft has your art and Elements has your lunch.) Make sure you visit Design Miami, being hosted at the Moore Building and then skip to some of the smaller nearby galleries. Finally, don't miss the Saturday night block party "Art Loves Design." Who knows, a week of this, and we might fall back in love with Miami.